Actions Have Consequences
by Heather Walters
Summary: This is written to entertain/amuse one specific friend, but if you like it too, that's great. Features two OCs, and no Marinette/Adrien or any other side of the Love Square. Mostly random stories, with a tiny subplot that ends with a wedding! Also all the main characters are 17. My first ever fanfic! Are you proud of what you've done?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1/12

AN:

Welcome to my first fic! This chapter features: Marinette, Adrien, Ladybug, Chatnoir, and an OC named Emmy/Flying Fox

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news!"

Nadja Chemak announced with her trademark smile, somehow still happy despite the Eiffel tower in pieces behind her as she rushed to interview the latest villain. Some rejected theatre major who hadn't made it into the fall play, and was now calling themselves 'The Director', able to make anything he wanted to come true, with the power of his megaphone.

"Watch out, stage left!"

Chatnoir shouted at Ladybug as she swung past him, watching as she barely moved out of the way before being hit by flying debris.

"I think it's time we cut this scene!"

She called back to him, landing gracefully as she hurled a yo-yo attack at The Director to distract him as Chatnoir activated his Cataclysm power. Ladybug dodged nimbly out of Chat's way as he rushed towards the Director and planted his hand on the megaphone. As they had planned, the megaphone turned black as Chat grabbed it and smashed it against a nearby wall.

"No more evil doing for you, little akuma!"

Ladybug chided, swinging her yo-yo to catch the dark butterfly. Or was it a moth? Ladybug and Chat had discussed it before, since the main source of evil in Paris called himself Hawkmoth, did that make all the akuma's moths? Or butterflies, as Ladybug called them once they were free of the evil?

"Pound it!"

Both heroes sang, bumping their fists as the world around them righted itself. Chat suppressed a shudder as he looked at the destruction around them, thinking of how different things would be without Ladybug's Miraculous healing power.

"What?"

She asked him, and Chatnoir realized he had been starring at the lady hero.

"Sorry, I was just admiring your powers my lady."

Chat grinned, relieved as Ladybug rolled her eyes at his excuse like always.

"Your powers are great too, I mean, neither of us would be here without the other, and we're a great team!"

Ladybug said, patting Chat on the shoulder. A motion that would have made his heart race if it had happened months ago. But in those months, Chatnoir had finally realized that he and Ladybug did make a great team, and only that. It had been a rough few weeks as he discovered this truth, but eventually, he had come to accept it. Chatnoir and Ladybug were a great pair of fighters, defenders of Paris. But despite being in the City of Love, there would never be any romantic love between them. Chat's thoughts were interrupted as he and Ladybug both noticed an odd movement at the same time. Someone was coming towards them, fast, and from the sky. Chatnoir and Ladybug both watched with wide eyes as a figure dressed in black and gold, with fabric wings under her arms, came soaring down towards the ground, landing right in front of them.

"Sorry, did I miss the whole thing?"

The figure said, sounding very much like a girl their age. Chatnoir was so curious now he could practically feel his tail twitching behind him, but he glanced at Ladybug, trying to gauge her reaction behind her mask. This wasn't the first time they'd encountered another hero, and it hadn't worked out so well before.

"Who are you?"

Ladybug said, moving instinctively into a fighting stance, her yo-yo ready in her hand.

"Flying Fox, I just moved here today, and I saw the commotion on the news so I tried to rush over, but I got lost, sorry."

The Flying Fox explained, smiling shyly at them from under her black and gold mask. Now that she was on the ground, Chat could see that her outfit features ears like his as well, although pointier. And her wings were a lot cooler than his tail, he admitted reluctantly.

"I've never heard of you, how do we know you're not akumatized?"

"I just moved here!"

Flying Fox defended.

"There are more miraculous than just what is in that box you have, I'm not evil just because you don't know me!"

Ladybug's yo-yo was still swinging dangerously in her hand, but Ladybug seemed to be considering what Flying Fox had to say. The fact that she knew about their miraculous, and the box Master Fu had did seem to point to her being on their side.

"Look, here's my miraculous."

Flying Fox finally offered, as Ladybug still hadn't said anything. She held out her arm to show them a small beaded bracelet.

"If you promise to fix it with your miraculous power, I'll let you break it to check for an akuma."

Chatnoir was impressed at her bravery, and convinced now that Flying Fox was one of the good guys, but still waited for Ladybug to make up her mind. All of them were interrupted though, as Ladybug's earrings, and Chatnoir's ring both started beeping, reminding them that their time was about to run out.

"I'll let you go this time, but I don't trust you yet!"

Ladybug declared, holding a hand up to her earring as she stepped away from Flying Fox.

"Whenever another villain attacks, come fight with us, and then I'll decide. Before then, stay safe, I guess. Bug out!"

Ladybug called, already swinging away. Chatnoir stepped away as well, getting ready to vault his way home, but stopped.

"You said you got lost on the way here, did you need help finding your way home?"

He offered, ignoring the now insistent beeping of his ring.

"I'm fine, thanks."

Chatnoir wasn't sure if she was really fine or not, but now had no choice as he felt himself about to change back into himself.

"See you around!"

He called to the girl as he fled, going too fast for him to hear if she said anything in reply.

Chatnoir crisscrossed Paris, alternating between vaulting over walls and running across rooftops. The sun had set now, but he still knew his way, tracing a careful path through the city that took him well around anywhere his father might be working. Finally he landed back in his room and carefully closed the window behind him. His father had already made more comments about his open window than Chatnoir was comfortable with. At this point now though, he had fully changed back into plain old Adrien Agreste, and he sank onto his bed, sighing as he ignored Plagg's usual string of complaints. He had cut the timing too close, he had stayed out too late, he didn't have enough cheese stored in his room.

"What do you think of her?"

Adrien asked, throwing his arm over his eyes as he lay on the bed, trying to perfectly replay every memory he had of the new hero he had just met. What kind of creature was a flying fox?

"Who?"

Plagg replied, pretending to be distracted as he dug through Adrien's drawers, looking for hidden food.

"Flying Fox, the new hero! Do you think she's the real deal?"

Adrien demanded, sitting up now so he could face Plagg. The little Kwami looked uncomfortable at being challenged, but still floated closer to Adrien.

"I've heard rumors of more miraculous being made all over the world…"

Plagg began, and Adrien's head instantly filled with ideas of assembling an international network of superheroes.

"But I don't know anything about those other heroes, or if there are any. Remember, miraculous can get lost for hundreds of years sometimes."

"Sure."

Adrien agreed, not really listening now. Did Ladybug know about the other miraculous? Did her Kwami know more than his? He flopped back onto his pillow. Hours later, after running through every possible scenario and fantasy, Adrien finally fell asleep, only to continue dreaming about the Flying Fox.

"Adrikins!"

Chloe shrieked as Adrien entered the classroom the next morning, which was exactly what he needed after a night of almost no sleep.

"Morning Chloe."

He somehow managed to say as he shook her of him.

"Sup Dude"

Nino greeted him as Adrien sat next to him, and Adrien offered a simple fist bump in return. The rest of the class all exchanged their usual morning greetings as they filed into the classroom, and Adrien tried to stay cheerful and polite, but still found his eyelids drooping and his thoughts constantly returning to the Flying Fox girl he had met the night before. He almost found himself wishing for a sudden villain attack, just so he'd have a reason to see her again. Eventually the only thing that pulled him back to the present, was their teacher standing up at the front of the classroom, clapping her hands together for their attention and then gesturing to the girl next to her.

"Class, we have a new student joining us from America. Please help her learn her way around the school and help her feel welcome. Would you like to introduce yourself?"

Ms. Bustier turned to the girl expectantly, and Adrien watched as she wrapped one arm around the other and shifted nervously on her feet.

"My name's Emmy, it's nice to meet you all."

She said to the class, in impressive French. Adrien heard Julika all the way in the back mutter

"Hell yeah."

And Adrien smiled, noticing for the first time that the girl's outfit paired well with Julika's fashion sense. Emmy had a long sleeved black t-shirt with a skeleton pattern across it, marking where her own bones would be, and then a red plaid skirt, dark tights with key patterns, and comfortable looking boots.

"Well, of course you can see we have two students per desk, but we'll have to rearrange for a bit. Emmy, would you mind sitting up there with Marinette and Alia? They'll be able to help you around the school."

Ms. Bustier patted Emmy kindly on the shoulder, and Emmy made her way carefully up to the row behind Adrien. He turned to watch her slip into the bench behind him, and caught her eye. He smiled awkwardly, not having expected to have her catch him watching her, and instead he just waved lamely. She smiled back for a brief second before she turned to hear Alia and Marinette introducing themselves to her. Adrien turned quickly back to his own desk.

"Dude, what was that?"

Nino whispered to him, imitating the shaky wave he had just given Emmy. Adrien just shook his head and sank down further in his seat.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I was going to make this all super long and detailed, but I would rather have them out in the world for y'all to read, so here's a less detailed version, and hopefully someday I'll come back and flesh them all out lol.

CHAPTER 2

Sabrina wins a scholarship to study abroad, and leaves quickly. Chloe is upset that her "best friend" has chosen to leave her, and spends a week being meaner than usual to everyone. Her actions cause a few kids to be Akumatized, but that just gives Chat Noir, Flying Fox, and Ladybug time to get to know each other better and learn how to work as a team. Ladybug has finally accepted that Flying Fox is one of the good guys, and has been trying to learn all she can about where she came from, but lately their fights with Akumatized people have been taking so long that there's not much time to chat after they're done fighting, and before they transform back into their regular selves. A week after Sabrina leaves, Chloe seems to finally have had enough of not having a specific person to worship her everyday, and announces that she is holding "auditions" for a new best friend. At this point though, most people in their class are completely fed up with her, and no one shows up to the audition, leaving Chloe to sit alone for several hours, waiting for the crowd of "fans" she thought would come. Angry and slightly embarrassed, she storms out into the school courtyard and demands to know why no one wants to be her BFF. Tired of Chloe's shenanigans, as well as the extra evil fighting work her tantrums have caused, Marinette finally snaps.

"You're a terrible person and none of us want to be around you!"

She snaps, shocking everyone around them into silence. The crowd turns to see Chloe's response.

"What? You're just saying that because you're jealous! Everyone loves me!" Chloe crosses her arm and tosses her hair.

"No, they love your money!" Alya chimes in, stepping up next to Marinette.

"Half the people here wouldn't have put up with you this long if they hadn't wanted to go to your stupid parties."

"T-that's not true!" Chloe snaps back, but her eyes are wandering the crowd, as she begins to look unsure.

"Raise your hand if you wouldn't have gone to Chloe's parties if she wasn't rich." Marinette challenges the crowd, raising her own hand to encourage the others.

Chloe watches with wide eyes as nearly everyone's hand in the room goes up. She sees that only the new girl, Emmy, and Adrien have not raised their hands.

"Adrikins, you love me for me, right?" Chloe pleads.

"Well," Adrien says, looking awkwardly around the room, at anyone but Chloe.

"It is really hard to be your friend, when you're constantly putting others down, making fun of people, lying, using your dad to get everything you want, bullying our classmates, stealing."

Adrien had finally met her eyes as he listed everything that she did wrong, and Chloe was mortified to feel her own eyes starting to sting with tears.

"So what are you saying?" She asked him.

"I'm saying no one here really wants to be your friend, since you never seem to learn your lesson after hurting us all so much."

Chloe looked back around the room, at all her classmates staring at her and nodding in agreement with Adrien. Since when had they all turned on her? Before she could say anything to defend herself, the bell rang to signal the end of the school day, and she took that as her cue and ran out of the building.

"Maybe we were a little harsh."

Adrien said, standing in the small group that remained. Nino, Alya, Marinette, and Emmy were all looking around at each other, only some of them feeling guilty about what they had just seen.

"Someone had to say it, I wasn't going to sit through another week of her tantrums."

Marinette said, crossing her own arms defensively as she now felt all her friends slightly judging eyes on her.

"Should someone go after her though?" Emmy suggested.

"She might get Akumatized on her way home and cause even more trouble for us."

"Fair point! Nino, let's go see if we can catch a glimpse of Ladybug or Chat Noir going after her!"

The two of them rand off then, leaving just Adrien, Marinette, and Emmy looking at each other awkwardly.

"I've known her the longest, I could go." Adrien offered.

"You're also the one who said the most about how awful she is."

Marinette pointed out.

"She might not want to see you right now."

"Well you're the one who started it!" Adrien replied.

Both of them looked at Emmy.

"She barely knows me! I don't know what to say to calm her down!"

Emmy said, raising her hands. Marinette heaved a deep sigh.

"Alright, she probably doesn't want to see me either, but at least I've had experience talking with her when she gets in these moods. And if she does get Akumatized I can-"

Marinette stopped talking quickly, and looked nervously between her two friends.

"I can call Ladybug, yeah, I'll do that."

And with that, she was off running out of the school.

"She's friends with Ladybug?"

Emmy asked Adrien, who shrugged and ran a hand through his hair.

"You never know when it comes to her. But hey, while she's dealing with that, do you want to hang out?"

"Sure."

Emmy smiled back, and the two of them walked off together.

Marinette goes to confront Chloe, and finds that an Akuma has slipped into her room and is heading straight for Chloe. Marinette talks quickly though and has calmed down before the Akuma can reach her. This leaves an Akuma fluttering around in the bedroom with no one to possess. Marinette desperately tries to keep Chloe too distracted to notice the dark butterfly, while trying to find a chance to slip away and transform into Ladybug so she can use her purifying powers. Chloe ends up catching her in Ladybug form however, but instead of making the connection between her and Marinette, Chloe throws herself in the arms of her favorite super hero and asks her advice, for how to get people to actually like her. Ladybug is flustered and tongue tied, but eventually suggests that Chloe should try to be more interested in other people, and that eventually she might make some real friends that way. Chloe is grateful for the advice, but Ladybug flees the scene as she's about to transform back, and doesn't have a chance to follow up with Chloe until after the weekend.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Spoilers ahead for who Hawkmoth is, just FYI. And I make no apologies for Crack ships, or anything else really that happens here.

Gabriel Agreste was having a rough time. After a rather chaotic relationship with a certain musician, the pair had finally called it quits, for good. Gabriel had simply woken up one morning to find himself in a trashed hotel room, with a scribbled note stuck to the mirror in the bathroom.

"Going on World Tour, I'll hit u up when I get back."

Without even a goodbye, it had left Gabriel feeling as if he had been some cheap fling, and he had left the hotel room considerably more trashed than he had found it that morning. That hadn't quite released all his anger about the situation though, and since he couldn't conveniently Akumatize himself, he had instead begun taking out his frustration on the whole of Paris. Gabriel was of course, in a unique position to do that, since he was Hawkmoth. Transforming into the form fitting suit and mask, he had stayed up in his secret attic for two days straight, searching for anyone and everyone he could use for his own gains, feeling vindictive as he himself felt used by his former lover. Nathalie knew better than to ask about any of this, but he could still sense her silently judging him as she came in and out of the attic, carefully stepping around the butterflies as she brought him food, and reminded him of the many responsibilities waiting for him below.

"Just a little longer."

He growled, not turning to look at Nathalie as he heard her enter the room.

"Just a little longer, and then I'll have it!"

But even he was starting to grow unsure about if he was talking about the Miraculous', or the return of his dignity.

"How dare he leave without telling me."

Hawkmoth muttered, sending out yet another dark butterfly.

"Sir, you've been up here almost a full week. Your son is getting worried, I've told him you're ill, but there's only so much he'll believe."

Hawkmoth turned sharply, having forgotten Nathalie was still behind him. Keeping a careful eye on what his new Akuma was doing, he faced Nathalie for the first time in days. She seemed as composed as ever, but was carrying more folders than usual, and he noticed a tray by her feet piled with barely touched dishes. Hawkmoth was suddenly struck by how hungry he was, for the first time in days, and felt his shoulders begin to sag. What was the point of any of this? He had been sending out Akuma nonstop for days, and still had nothing to show for it. Perhaps it would do him good to reconnect with people, especially his son.

"Alright Nathalie, I'll be down as soon as this one is finished."

He said, not even pretending to believe he could win this time. He had Akumatized another infant on accident anyways, and did not have the patience to deal with that.

An hour later, Gabriel was back in his study, starring down a mountain of paperwork that he had been neglecting. He heard the front door open then, and knew Adrien was home, and for once he moved to greet his son at the door. Even an awkward conversation with the son he hardly knew seemed welcome compared to reading through business expense reports.

"Welcome home, Adrien."

Gabriel winced inwardly as he heard how aloof he sounded, but kept his expression blank. Adrien looked at him in surprise, and shifted on his feet, clutching his backpack.

"Hello father."

Adrien replied, not really meeting his father's eyes. Gabriel tried to think back to a time when they had talked regularly, searching for something to say. But that just brought him back to when…to when it hadn't been just the two of them, and he found his confidence wavering. Better to bring things back to the present.

"How was school?"

Gabriel asked, walking with his son to the dining room, where Nathalie had set out an afternoon snack.

"It was fine."

"Did you get home okay? I heard there was another Akuma attack."

"Yeah, it was another baby, so it wasn't a big deal. Just kind of sad, you know?"

"How so?"

Gabriel asked, sitting down at the table across from his son and trying to look relaxed.

"Well, like all these Akuma attacks, you know? It's like whoever's causing them just doesn't care anymore. Like, if he's trying to take over the city, he should at least put some heart into it, not just throw things out at random."

Gabriel fought back a rising wave of anger, and instead tried to smile.

"It sounds like you've thought a lot about this, thinking of taking over the city yourself?"

Adrien stared at his father, not used to hearing him try to joke. Gabriel sat for as long as he could under his son's stare before clearing his throat and checking a watch he wasn't wearing.

"Well, look at that, I should get back to my work. Enjoy your evening."

Gabriel said, standing up from the table and leaving the room quickly, before Adrien could say anything else. He passed by Nathalie without looking at her. She was always saying something, whether she let him hear it or not, and today he was not in the mood for her side eye.

Closing the door to his study though, he found that it was quite suffocating. He had just spent the last several days cooped up in his attic, and was now finding the rest of the rooms in his house to be quite confining. He wondered if this was how Adrien had felt for so long, and why he had wanted to go to school so much. Unable to cope with the stuffy house anymore, Gabriel moved quickly to his bedroom, pulled on a fresh suit, a long coat and scarf, and headed towards the front door. Only Nathalie was there to see him leave, Adrien having disappeared up to his room.

"I'll be back sometime later."

Was all he said to his assistant as he swept dramatically out the front door.

Paris looks a lot different from the street, compared to when you're viewing it from an attic in a mansion, surrounded by butterflies and ancient magic.

Gabriel found himself lost once he was completely out of his neighborhood, but then shrugged and kept walking; taking turns at random now, following his fancy. Every once in awhile though, he would take a turn and find himself suddenly struck by waves of nostalgia, both bitter and sweet. A park he had picnicked at with his wife and infant son, a café he and Jagged Stone had slunk into at 3 in the morning, hoping not to be recognized. Gabriel took sharp turns away from both of these sets of memories, not having the patience for either of them. His wife was…well, dead was the most convenient term, although Gabriel refused to believe it. And Jagged Stone was…Gabriel scoffed and snarled in the same breath, as he impulsively struck out a foot to kick at the curb, making the couple walking past him stare for a moment before continuing past him, muttering to each other. Let them talk. Gabriel thought, striking out at the curb again before strolling away as if nothing had happened. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark overcoat and kept walking with his head down, ignoring the bits of memories scattered through the city all around him.

Eventually, the sidewalk Gabriel was on dead ended, and he was forced to look up, and then let out a sharp laugh as he saw his feet had landed him at the front steps of a cathedral. A rather modest one, compared to the more famous ones in Paris, but still beautiful, he considered. Wondering just how long it had been since he had set foot in a church, Gabriel cautiously entered, to look at the art inside, of course. He was simply interested in the art and architecture. The late afternoon sun filtered in over the rows of pews, a few of them occupied with people silently bowing their heads, or whispering to their neighbors. Gabriel stood for almost a minute there, in silence, just watching the other churchgoers enjoying their moment of peace. Was this what it felt like? To not have any worries that couldn't be solved by a higher power? Gabriel moved closer to the art on the walls then, sliding slowly around the room, stopping to take in each saintly portrait, cataloguing ideas away to use in future designs. He was deeply lost in thought then, still side stepping along the walls, when he bumped into someone doing the same thing, in the opposite direction.

"Pardon me."

He said simply, moving to walk around the person he had bumped into, but then stopped when he finally looked at her. She was several inches shorter than he was, younger too, but hard to tell by how much. But there was something else? Gabriel paused for a moment, starring at her, trying to place what it was about her that had so suddenly caught his attention.

"I'm sorry, I just got so distracted by how beautiful everything here is."

The woman said, in slightly accented French.

"Yes, beautiful."

Gabriel agreed, stepping slightly farther away from the woman and turning to look back at the painting they were standing in front of.

"Did you know this whole place was almost destroyed by an Akuma attack a few months ago?"

The woman asked, conversationally.

"Yes, I was there."

Gabriel replied without thinking.

"You were?"

The woman looked at him in surprise and Gabriel let out a mental string of swears as he kicked himself.

"Well, I was here in Paris, and…nearby, when the Akuma attack happened."

"How terrible."

"It wasn't so bad, the Akuma that day was quite clever."

Gabriel found himself defending without thinking again, and glanced towards the exit, wondering if it would be better for him to just bolt out the door now.

"Oh, I heard about it. I'm sure it was very clever. Terrible doesn't always mean bad."

Gabriel paused his escape planning and looked back at the woman, really seeing her for the first time.

"I'm Claire, by the way. I just moved here, to Paris, from America."

The woman held out her hand for him to shake, and Gabriel found himself taking it, even felt the shadow of a smile as he held her hand a second longer than necessary.

"Gabriel Agreste, I live and work here, welcome to Paris."

"Thank you."

The woman, Claire, replied, smiling openly now. Gabriel knew he should probably leave then, leave their conversation at that and let Claire become yet another background character in this city, but something stopped him. Still not knowing why, he asked her,

"What brings you into this chapel on such a lovely afternoon?"

"I'm an author; I'm here in Paris to get inspiration for my next book, and to have a beautiful place to write, although the Akuma attacks have been a little distracting."

Claire laughed, and Gabriel found himself laughing a little with her, as he pushed back a slight twinge of guilt. His Akuma attacks had been a little extreme lately.

"What sort of books do you write?"

Gabriel asked, moving the topic carefully away from his akumas.

"Well, um, romance? I guess I don't have to be embarrassed about that here though, it's the city of love after all."

Gabriel stared at Claire then, he couldn't help it, but he only noticed when she asked him what was wrong.

"Nothing, I'm terribly sorry, it's just…I had forgotten Paris was known as the city of love."

Claire looked as if she wanted to ask him how on earth he could have forgotten that, but he was grateful that she only smiled slightly instead, and looked back to the painting in front of them. It seemed, to Gabriel, as if Claire wasn't like someone he had known before, she wasn't someone who reminded him of the past. She was someone who reminded him instead of the present, as if talking to her was holding him solidly in the here and now. And he was drawn to her because of it.

"Would you like to join me at a café?"

He asked her, this time having thought about it before speaking.

"I'd be happy to tell you anything you'd like to know about Paris, for your book."

She looked back at him, smiling, although she hesitated a little.

"Are you sure? I won't be keeping you from anything?"

Gabriel thought about the stack of paperwork waiting for him, of Nathalie's constant reminders, and Adrien's…well just Adrien in general, and how awkward it was to be around him lately.

"Nothing that can't be dealt with later."

He assured Claire, and couldn't help smiling with her now.

"Oh, that would be amazing then! I'd love to! It will be so helpful to have a local perspective!"

"I'm happy to help."

Gabriel said as they walked out of the church together. And he was happy, to his surprise, for the first time in weeks.

A few days later:

"Nadja Chemenick here to announce that today is the third day in a row with no Akuma attacks! Could this be the start of something new? Is Paris safe at last? Here's a consultant to tell us more!"

"Did you hear that, Ladybug?"

Chat Noir said, pointing to the newsreel that was running on a screen at a local café.

"There hasn't been an attack in days, is this patrol thing really necessary?"

Chat scampered along a roof tile, keeping up with Ladybug.

"Yes!" Ladybug replied.

"There were all those attacks at once and now nothing? Doesn't that make you suspicious?"

It makes me tired. Chat Noir thought, but said nothing as he continued to follow Ladybug to their arranged meeting spot for the night. Every night since the Akuma attacks had stopped suddenly, she had insisted that he and Flying Fox patrol the city, each of them taking a section to scan and then coming back to share what, if anything, they had found. It was exhausting, and was starting to affect his school life, as he had to stay awake and alert so no one else would get suspicious.

"Sorry I'm late."

Chat's ears perked up then, as he turned to see Flying Fox gliding towards them. He watched her land gracefully, hoping she couldn't hear his heart beating faster now that she had joined them. It had been like this before, kind of, when he had cared so much for Ladybug. But after patrolling with Flying Fox the last few nights, he was starting to feel for her in a different way too. He hoped it was a good thing, but didn't want to think too much about it, incased that jinxed it.

"Did you see anything suspicious on your way here?"

Ladybug asked, standing to her full height and crossing her arms, officially in Boss Bug mode.

"Nah, just some guy walking home, but he didn't seem dangerous."

"That's what bad guys are good at! Not seeming dangerous!"

Ladybug said, but Flying Fox held up her hand before Ladybug could go on a full rant.

"I followed him for like six blocks, that's kind of why I'm late. He seemed fine, not angry about anything and ready to be Akumatized."

"He could have been Hawkmoth, he wouldn't necessarily be angry all the time."

Chat Noir offered, leaning casually on his baton.

"True, but what am I supposed to do? Attack everyone and ask them if they're Hawkmoth? How would I know unless he started laughing evilly or something?"

Chat Noir and Flying Fox both looked to Ladybug to hear her answer, but she looked deep in thought.

"You're right, we really don't know how to tell who Hawkmoth is. We all transform back after a certain amount of time, I'm sure his miraculous works the same. We've got to learn more about how he controls the Akuma, maybe we can figure out a way to draw him out of hiding!"

Chat Noir was impressed by how dedicated Ladybug was to this, but still shared a slightly exasperated look with Flying Fox, when Ladybug wasn't looking.

"Alright, we'll figure out that later, but first, tonight's assignments!"

Ladybug announced, and Chat Noir stifled both a yawn and a groan as he and Flying Fox started to lean over the map Ladybug had pulled out.

"Chat, since you took this section last night, I want you over here on—"

Ladybug stopped suddenly, and Chat Noir looked up at her in alarm and saw her starring out into the dark, looking shocked. He followed her gaze, and then nudged Flying Fox's elbow and pointed out across the rooftops to where there was clearly another person, making their way across the rooftops of Paris.

"Let's go!"

Ladybug said, not waiting for the other two to follow her as she leapt towards the strange figure. Following their default leader, Chat Noir and Flying Fox followed Ladybug out into the darkness. The three heroes landed in front of the stranger a few minutes later, making the person stop and stifle a scream.

"What the hell!" I was looking for you guys!"

"Why? Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Ladybug demanded, holding her weapon in an attack ready position. The figure in front of them raised their arms in defense, and Adrien took in their outfit, trying to figure out what they were. Some sort of black bird, he figured, with the shiny black feathers running down the arms and flaring out into a sort of tail. But he had never been good at telling the difference between crows and ravens, so he waited for the person to introduce themselves.

"I'm Lady Grackle. I'm from America, and I came here to help you guys, to help you figure out who Hawkmoth is."

"What, another one?"

Ladybug asked, glancing at Flying Fox.

"Two new heroes, both of them American, and I'm supposed to believe that's a coincidence?"

"I never said it was."

Lady Grackle said, still keeping her hands up as she faced the other three heroes.

"I didn't know Flying Fox had come here, but we've worked together before, and had talked about coming to Paris whenever we got a chance, and seeing if we could help."

"Is that true?"

Chat Noir asked Flying Fox, his ears perking up as this was the first bit of real information he had heard about her since they met.

"Yeah, we've taken down some Akumas in Texas before, she's cool."

Flying Fox vouched for Lady Grackle, shrugging a little as Ladybug starred her down.

"Alright, where's your miraculous then?"

Ladybug asked Lady Grackle, only slightly lowering her own weapon.

"Here,"

Lady Grackle said, pulling up what looked like a small magnifying glass from a chain that hung around her waist.

"It's not a great weapon, but it can show me a little bit into the future sometimes, and reveal Akumas if they're hidden in objects, and it can purify them too."

"What about your ultimate?"

Chat Noir asked, intensely curious about this Lady Grackle now.

"My what?"

"Like I have Cataclysm, Ladybug has her Lucky Charm, Flying Fox can do that cool ghost thing."

"Oh yeah, well, um."

Lady Grackle looked slightly embarrassed now, even under her mask.

"Well it doesn't have to do with the glass, I can just…scream…really loud."

"Scream?"

Ladybug asked, sounding skeptical.

"Like a Grackle."

Lady Grackle added, as if that helped.

"Can you show us?"

Chat Noir asked, knowing that was probably a stupid idea, but wanting to see it happen anyways. He looked to Ladybug, who nodded after a second, and then he looked back expectantly at Lady Grackle. He hadn't noticed that Flying Fox was already covering her ears, although a few seconds later he wished he had. Lady Grackle, still looking awkward and embarrassed, shifted on her feet a little, looked around to make sure they were really alone, and then called out

"Grackle Cry!"

Chat Noir watched in wonder as she opened her mouth then, and let out a sound that was completely impossible for a human to replicate. He recognized it as some sort of bird, but nothing he had ever heard before, although he didn't have much time to analyze it before he was kneeling on the rooftop, desperately pressing his hands against his ears, wishing for the ringing in them to go away. When he finally stood up, he could hear the dogs in the neighborhood all around them barking like crazy, and he looked at Lady Grackle with new found respect.

"Alright, I'm glad you're on our side then."

Ladybug admitted, still rubbing her ears.

"But you said you're not great at fighting, so how are you going to help us defeat Hawkmoth?"

"Well I'm not going to _defeat_ him."

Lady Grackle explained, looking relieved to finally have Ladybug's acceptance. She stepped closer to their group, and Chat Noir noticed that as their numbers grew, they were looking more and more like a proper team of super heroes.

"My glass helps me see the true side of things, I'm focusing more on _finding_ Hawkmoth, then I'll help you guys take him down, or whatever."

"Sounds easy enough."

Chat Noir said, grinning as he looked at Ladybug. For some reason, now that they had added more to their group, he really was feeling like they could actually defeat Hawkmoth now. Ladybug seemed like she wasn't quite convinced, and Flying Fox seemed to be on board no matter what happened, but at least for him, Chat Noir thought things were looking up.

"Okay."

Ladybug finally said, looking around at the other heroes.

"There's strength in numbers and everything, so I'm willing to give this a chance. I still want to do patrols while there are no Akuma attacks, but if you want help with your investigation then I guess we can change the plans a little."

Ladybug sounded as if she was about to fill in Lady Grackle with every plan she had thought up in the last few weeks, but her earring started to beep just then, followed by Chat's ring, and Flying Fox's bracelet.

"Ah shoot, okay, we'll meet at that park by the river tomorrow night and I'll fill you in, everyone else just keep your eyes open! Bug out!"

"How does she expect us to keep our eyes open if she has us out every night?"

Flying Fox asked, and Chat Noir nodded in agreement, finding himself about to fall over he was so tired, he figured it was safer to go transform back into Adrien and take a cab home, rather than trying to vault his way across the rooftops and fall asleep mid jump. He wanted to stay and talk with the two new heroes more, but his ring's beeping became louder and faster, and he leapt away with a quick cat yowl that would have annoyed Ladybug, but made Flying Fox laugh. He was still thinking about her laugh when he crashed into a bush two stories below, but he survived, still grinning.

"So they take the whole secret identity thing pretty seriously here, huh?"

Lady Grackle asked Flying Fox, who was just finishing her transformation back into Emmy.

"Yeah, we probably should be too, since everyone kinda knows everyone, and we don't know who Hawkmoth is."

"Yeah, but that's so much work! And heroes knowing who other heroes are is what helped save us during that giant cicada attack in Austin!"

"True, but I doubt Ladybug would agree to that."

"Who died and made her the boss of us? But I'll keep that in mind."

Lady Grackle replied, her own miraculous beginning to sound the alarm.

"Do you want a ride home? It's pretty late."

Lady Grackle offered, as she and Emmy both realized they were standing on the rooftop of a strange building of a city they had just moved to.

"Sure, if you can help me get down before you transform." Emmy replied.

"I got this."

Lady Grackle said, raising her glass to scan the ground below, searching for a way down that wouldn't lead to their deaths. She saw a brief glimpse of her and Emmy rolling to their safety as they jumped into some bushes below, and quickly pulled Emmy to stand beside her before they both jumped. They landed in the bushes seconds before Lady Grackle transformed, making them both laugh, before they hailed a cab ride back to their respective homes.


End file.
